Riorson House
Only showing what’s been revealed up to your current progress. Future events, identities, and relationships are hidden.
Overview
Riorson House is the fortress of Aretia, an enormous stronghold carved into the mountain and built with thick stone walls.
The fortress is also Xaden Riorson's house, and he treats access to its rooms and guests as his own authority rather than the Assembly's.
Important Events
Violet recalls that Riorson House has never been breached by an army, including during three sieges she knows of, and its stone walls let it survive the burning of Aretia.
After Aretia's wards hold, riders and fliers cheer in the foyer while the guarded Assembly chamber stays tense and politically dangerous.
When Aretia comes under attack, Riorson House is the immediate command and muster point: people pour out of rooms on multiple floors, Brennan reports patrol and rider numbers there, and Xaden gives battlefield orders before riders and infantry rush out through the front door.
Location and Access
A valley above Riorson House is heated by natural thermal energy and contains the original Dubhmadinn hatching grounds.
A guarded back entrance and connected hallways control the route from the house toward the hidden wardstone chamber.
Moving large groups through Riorson House is difficult because the fortress was built to keep attackers out rather than admit a formation quickly.
Layout and Features
Inside, Riorson House has long high-arched halls, intricate carpet, sweeping double staircases, many small windows, cobblestone floors, steel-enforced double doors, art, and a Poromish tapestry.
The house includes a foyer, a great hall, wide halls, second-floor family quarters, and a hundred barracks rooms across the top three floors.
A rebuilt theater in the northwest wing is large enough to seat every cadet for Battle Brief.
The Assembly chamber contains the central chair identified as Tyrrendor's throne.
The upper part of the fortress includes a fifth floor, a service stairway, a roofline walkway, and a small defensive turret where Xaden can sit above the town.
During the Aretian rotation, the house's entryway is described as five stories high and carved into the mountain.
Function and Rules
Riorson House functions as an operational hub in rebuilt Aretia, with offices, the great hall, and Assembly access used by leadership and gathered forces.
The fortress also serves as an academic and barracks center, with carpenters working around the clock to make serviceable furniture for Aretia's growing population.
During the Aretian rotation, Riorson House is both a domestic base and a seat of Tyrrish authority, with Xaden's study holding documents for his signature and the Assembly chamber used for meetings.
Residents and Affiliations
Xaden claims Riorson House as his own house and says he does not need the Assembly's permission to bring guests into it.
The house functions as a dense residence for cadets, fliers, and command staff, with upper-level rooms such as Rhiannon's located inside it.
By the Aretian rotation, the halls are quieter than Violet remembers because cadets no longer bustle through them, though the house still receives the rotation group for bunks, bathing, and changing.